(670 The Score) With the regular season winding down, the Cubs continue to conduct in-house evaluations regarding which players have proved themselves with increased opportunities in the 2021 season and what roles they might fill on the 2022 team.
"We have gotten a lot of buy-in from these guys,” manager David Ross said. “They have shown the ability to get better on a daily basis and learn what it's like to be a big leaguer. They have gotten extended looks, and we have continued to emphasize the importance of winning around here. We are looking at performance, attitude and all the things that go with becoming a part of a winning big league team.”
First baseman Frank Schwindel, third baseman Patrick Wisdom and outfielder Rafael Ortega are the three players who have stood out with bigger roles during a season in which the Cubs sold off their core players at the trade deadline in late July. The question for president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the front office is how each player fits into the retooling of the Cubs moving forward.
For their part, each player has cherished his chance.
“We have been through a lot,” the 29-year-old Schwindel said of his long journey to get to the big leagues and stay. “There have been some long minor league careers like mine, but if it ended today, I would say I had a blast. We need to keep doing what we have been doing and let the rest work itself out.”
Schwindel is hitting .360 with 13 homers, 13 doubles, 37 RBIs and a 1.076 OPS in 45 games with the Cubs in 2020.
Wisdom, 30, has set a Cubs rookie record with 27 homers while posting an .836 OPS in 102 games. He has been overjoyed to see the success of Schwindel and others who have had long journeys to this point.
"There is a lot to be said for having done that,” Wisdom said. “It really helps brighten up the day because you're really pumped to see them. That translates out on the field because we are all pulling in the right direction.”
Ortega, 30, has solidified himself in the leadoff spot and center field for much of the second half of the season. He has hit .280 with a .797 OPS in 93 games.
The lefty-swinging Ortega has hit well against right-handers (.312 batting average, .879 OPS) but struggled against lefties (.116 batting average, .386 OPS). That could lead to him filling a platoon role in the future.
"He is finally getting a chance to play every day, and he is putting up a great season too,” Schwindel said of Ortega. “He is fun to hit behind. Patrick is just very dangerous with a bat in his hands. It seems like every time up he is going to do some damage. Like in Milwaukee, he had a couple of punchouts and then hit a big home run to beat them. We have had a lot of fun getting these chances to play.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.